An American group headed by Tom DiBenedetto are currently negotiating the purchase of a majority stake in the club, which is heavily in debt and in need of a cash infusion. The head of a group of American investors arrived in Italy on Monday with the aim of concluding a deal to buy three-time Serie A champion Roma. Boston executive Thomas DiBenedetto leads a group which is reportedly prepared to pay $108.69 million for a 67 percent share of the club. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/03/28/us.roma.ap/index.html#ixzz1Hu8Wts69
Yes. That was mentioned in another article that I didn't link. Here it is: http://football.uk.reuters.com/leagues/seriea/news/2011/03/28/LDE72R1JY.php?rpc=401
They have agreed on the terms. "The negotiations that have taken place in Rome over the past few days have defined terms for the acquisition of control of AS Roma S.p.A. ... The signature for the agreements is scheduled for within the next 20 days." http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42334715/ns/sports-soccer/
An interview with the new owner from La Gazzetta dello Sport: Exclusive with DiBenedetto: "My Roma with stars and stripes"
Roma is one of the few Italian teams I actually like. They actually like to attack! Hopefully they'll have enough money to compete in the Champions League in the next few years.
Looks like they may sign the deal today for 60%. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/soccerblog/american_group_poised_to_buy_as_uEAJN013iMPJjaFIGnbv1H
The deal is done. "We are very happy," DiBenedetto said. "The business aspect has been very important but I love Rome and I want to do something big for this city. "I am proud of my Italian origins and for this reason I will do big things. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6875453,00.html
http://www.beyondthepitch.net/artic...-partner-james-pallota-on-the-completed-sale/ A translated interview with James Palotta.
They seem to be calling DiBenedetto "Uncle Tom" in Rome. There are no negative connotations here but it was still a bit creepy to read. Then again perhaps I'm just being overly-sensitive today.
Of the above, only Donovan and Chandler are good enough for Roma (Agudelo may be at some point). And only Chandler has the EU passport.
Is it safe to presume that Seltzer meant to put Clint Dempsey on that list instead of a second Landon Donovan?
Probably. I'm trying to think of what Roma's real glaring needs are and how they match up with our player pool. If they're looking for a "name", probably only Clint and Bradley meet that criteria. I know the Italian press loves them both. Agudelo would make some sense, too, but if they would seriously look at Sacha Kljestan as a summer transfer than i need to hire his agent because that would be straight absurd.
Yeah that's what I figured. This Roma deal could be pretty cool actually. The new owners are finally looking to build a new stadium, and there could be an American playing in it. Now if the player they bring on is Bradley, would this also be considered a form of nepotism?
BTW, Gooch does have a Euro (Belgian) passport, which makes it a lot easier for him to travel to certain places. Who knows if the Roma owners understand that variable (allegedly, when Tom Hicks bought Liverpool, he had no idea that the EPL did not have a draft and the EU/non-EU situation is a lot murkier, considering many dual-nationals like Gooch, Spector, Jones and Chandler). Roma, at the present, has a bunch of Brazilians on the club's roster.
Well Donovan just might be a big enough name in the USA to draw some casual soccer fan eyeballs to Roma. Maybe not though. I don't see how LA could let him go in Beckham's final season unless they have some type of immediate high profile/high impact replacement lined up. Nevermind the fact that he'd probably rather play in the EPL and that MLS would probably ask for a ridiculous transfer fee. Does Bradley have an EU passport? He might actually be a pretty decent replacement for De Rossi. I doubt I'd watch Roma just to see him play though.
